UPDATE ON EXCELLENCE

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP89-00087R000300300016-9
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 15
• Document Creation Date: December 27, 2016
• Document Release Date: January 27, 2012
• Sequence Number: 16
• Publication Date: December 14, 1984
• Content Type: MEMO

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Central Intelligence Agency
23 April 1984
MEMORANDUM FOR ALL EMPLOYEES
SUBJECT: Pursuing Excellence
I am very pleased with the reports I have received from the
Deputy Directors on the progress being made in following up on
many of the suggestions you made to me in February.
I also have drawn on your papers in preparing an expanded
goals statement. I like to think of it as a checklist of
principles and operating standards. I am sending a copy to
each of you, and am particularly interested in having it used
in orienting and indoctrinating new employees to the mission,
standards, and work ethic of our organization.
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PURPOSE
o Protect the United States, through the provision of
ample warning, from surprise armed attack (albeit from
terrorist bombing or nuclear war).
0 Collect, analyze and appropriately disseminate Foreign
Intelligence in support of National interests related
to-the full range of threats around the world to U. S.
interests and to U. S. relations with other
governments.
0 Engage in authorized special activities in support of
U. S. foreign policy objectives and combat anti-U. S.
activities by hostile foreign powers.
ORGANIZATION
0 Keep our energy and our resources focused on the
Agency's mission.
0 Organize to adapt to fast-moving situations; ensure
quick reaction when needed; develop a workforce with
multiple skills which can be redeployed quickly as
issues or crises arise.
0 Minimize management layering without sacrificing
proper command and control.
o Keep abreast of state-of-the-art collection,
processing, analysis, and production techniques and
make them available to do our job.
w. raLL1VLi5m ana respect tor the
laws and Constitution of the United States. Protect
the lives and identities of our sources and assets,
most of whom are not protected by U. S. law.
Recognize in our efforts the absolute primacy of
national loyalty and personal values over personal
loyalties and the desire for personal gain.
o Recognize that loyalty and values are worthless
without the courage to act in their light.
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o Strive for fairness and a generosity of spirit in our
internal affairs.
o Continue to stress security, both individually and
technologically, even into retirement. Consider the
security investment as a proportionate part of the
human and technological investments and always make it.
o Demand prudent use of government funds.
o Avoid conflicts of interests.
PEOPLE
o Hire the best, and expect the best in performance,
integrity, and commitment to the organization.
o Recognize that some experimenters, free thinkers, and
free spirits just might be the kinds of people that a
dynamic organization needs.
o Make the Agency an attractive place to work for the
highly capable people we want.
o Give individuals responsibility throughout their
careers and hold them accountable; people mature best,
find career satisfaction, build self-confidence, and
work hard to advance when they are given real
responsibilities.
o Give individuals freedom to try new things,
recognizing there will be some failures.
o Stress cooperation and teamwork as key factors in
individual and organizational performance.
o Continually strive for equity in performance
evaluation systems and communicate it to the employees.
o Pay the staff in accordance with their skills and
contributions. Specifically reward exceptional
performance appropriately, as it occurs.
o Individually and as an organization invest in a strong
and well-managed, career-long, educational program,
and encourage each individual to participate.
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o Give those whose skills have been diminished in value
by professional and technological advances a chance to
find renewed value through an educational investment.
0 Maintain a sense of humor and encourage the same among
your people.
o Use the DCI's special authorities to establish
personnel systems responsive to the nature of the
Agency. Pursue this course with consistency.
MANAGEMENT
- 0 Delegate responsibility to the lowest possible level.
o Set goals, define tasks, establish plans, and monitor
and measure progress.
o Be accountable and demand accountability.
0 Display confidence in people and trust them to do
their jobs.
0 Foster participation and a sense of belonging to the
Agency family.
0 Devote time to expanding an individual's ability to
contribute.
o Never let a pressure towards mediocrity develop. Do
not make, or let others make, people who do more look
foolish; reward the outstanding employee.
MEASURE OF RESULTS
o Continually assess our ability to meet customer needs.
o Be alert to the barometer of demands for more
intelligence and the esteem in which CIA is held by
consumers and the Community.
o Analyze failure as well as success. Learn from
mistakes.
o Ask employees and consumers what they think.
Communicate.
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STANDARDS
o Produce finished intelligence that is objective and
free of political bias. The product must be timely,
relevant and accurate.
o Strive for excellence by staying insatiable in the
quest for excellence.
o Strive to be the best intelligence service in the
world, second to none.
o Believe in innovation - be willing to take some
failures in stride.
o Know which pieces of the past to honor and preserve
while moving into the future.
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ER 84-1371
2 3 MAR 1994
MEMORANDUM FOR:
FROM : Director of Central Intelligence
SUBJECT: Pursuit of Excellence
1. As I mentioned in the auditorium on Friday, our pursuit of
excellence depends ultimately on the personal commitment of each of you
to implement the broad changes in direction that we have agreed to
undertake. Recognizing that each manager's style is different, I expect
each of you to find ways of doing the following:
-- Delegate authority and responsibility to the lowest
levels possible.
Undertake a major effort to increase recognition of
outstanding performance -- provide feedback, celebrate
successes; encourage greater use of unit citations, cash
awards and nonmonetary forms of recognition.
-- Foster better communications in all directions -- be
visible and accessible.
Encourage sensible risktaking, creativity and innovation.
2. Responsibility must be accompanied by accountability. I will
hold you accountable and expect you to do the same with your subordinate
managers. The measure of a manager will include an evaluation of the
extent to which he or she communicates the goals, philosophies and
standards of this Agency to its em
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STAT
STAT
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 STAT
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STAT
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Authority to approve Certificates of Merit and Meritorious Unit
Citations is delegated to heads of career subgroups (Office Directors).
Control of an office's FTE allocation is delegated to the office
Director.
Authority to approve Special Achievement and Exceptional Accotplisi-raerit
Awards up to $500 is delegated to heads of career subgroups.
As are no longer mandatory.
Formal proi;iotion recormendations from supervisors are no longer
required.
On IG surveys ofl Iwe will review each survey to determine
the extent of dissemination to our employees.
We are providing periodic briefings, displays, and/or publications on
career items of interest such as benefits.
Assignments of SIS 1/2 employees are delegated to DDs;
cross-directorate assiynlents are approved by the Executive Director.
Existing policy that provides the authority to promote exceptional
performers faster than established time-in-grade guidelines is
reaffirmed.
The eight-hour donation rule for directed overtime is eliminated.
Using "officer" rather than 'professional" in some cases eliminates
misinterpretations.
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STAT
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3 0 JUL 1984
Pursuit of Excellence
1. As You requested, we have conducted a review of
efforts keyed to the Director's pursuit of
STAT
STAT
STAT
excellence objectives. Attachment A and B present a summary of
those efforts, which we believe represent a significant
contribution not only to the search for excellence out to the
maintenance of excellence as well. Since 0 responsibilities STAT
cover a wide and diverse spectrum of activities we Have, for
the purpose of clarity and ease of reporting, elected to report
our efforts as follows:
Attachment A represents action by = to reduce STAT
bureaucracy. Primarily, the actions listed have been
effected through regulatory change and greater delegation
of authority and responsibility.
Attachment B which you will recognize as information
presented at our recent planning conference with you,
provides a listing of the many and varied ways through
which 0 currently communicates. You will also note that STAT
this listing is divided into two major categories and at
the end of each category are listed additional planned
activities to further improve___ communications. STAT
2. In the other areas of concern to the Director, we
continue as always to encourage sensible risktaking, creativity
and innovation among all= employees, and we appropriately STAT
recognize and reward the many outstanding performers and
deserving individuals who contribute to the success of= and STAT
the Agency.
STAT
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